Where Is The Majority Of This Art I'm Missing? - Tumblr Posts
Gently: as a cisguy under 5’6 who has been described as “scary as fuck” and is fully capable of breaking things and fighting, may I suggest that you unpack why you assume that someone using physical intimidation or being aggressive is going to be larger and very (by Western standards) masculine in appearance instead of accusing your fellow fans of being racist. For making a guy short. You don’t need to post this, just maybe mull it over.
hello?? first, you don't have to be racist to do or say racist things. i'm not accusing anyone of being anything when i'm pointing out that this obviously well-meaning fanbase may have accidentally done something offensive by relying on racial stereotypes to flesh out their visual library in character design. if you have an issue with me pointing out potential racial biases i've observed then, gently, you have stuff to unpack, not me.
second, i literally never said that he couldn't be scary and intimidating while also being short. i AM a short guy, shorter than you, and have been described as intimidating on multiple occasions after meeting people in person, including by people twice my age. i'm not a stranger to the concept of a short guy being scary, and i never once said that short guys can't be scary, or that parker cannot be short.
the issue is that i've seen so much art where he is shorter than you or i, AND thin, and looks completely incapable of doing the things he's described as being able to do. once again, i do not care when people give him an "average" build. my issue lies solely with making him, as i said, "pocket-sized when compared to arthur."
if someone made him 5'6" and physically capable, great! i literally don't care. but i've seen people draw him so small that i have genuinely mistaken him for a CHILD at first glance. i am talking Half of Arthur's Height. based on your ask, i'm assuming you haven't seen this art, because it's a far cry from a character design who looks short and strong.
it is the fandom's job to make itself welcoming to minorities, and this happens in every single fandom. every single fandom engages with racist stereotypes, it's just the reality of living in a world where racism is this normalized. respectfully, it is our responsibility to point these things out, it is our responsibility to think through these biases and ask ourselves WHY we think the asian guy is the tiniest one in the cast, and whether that's a depiction worth keeping. i stand by my observation.